[0:00] Alright, alright, let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father God, Lord we just come to you on knees that are bent, hearts that are open, and we just ask and thank you for the many blessings that you've given us. Thank you for loving us the way you do.
[0:18] Thank you for sending your Son to die on the cross for us. And we thank you for everything that you've ever blessed us with. And Lord, I just ask that you take center stage.
[0:32] I ask that you be the one that's speaking. I'm going to go sit down in the back and take a seat while you do all this. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
[0:45] I want to mention that during worship, and we're singing, and there's this beautiful baby in the back singing along with us. It's a great, awesome sound to have.
[0:58] And I can never tell you, even though I'm scared to death of babies, how much I just love their sound. They're cooing, and when they join in and do that, it's just awesome.
[1:12] And I really am. I'm scared to death of babies. I'm scared to death. I'll drop them and break them or something like that. So that's why I try to stay away from them.
[1:25] Even though we had Timmy and I had six of our own. I'm reminded that Mark's first time in church, he was four days old, and I'm the one that brought them.
[1:39] So I'm not trying to pick on you. Too much anyway. So I want to share this story, and it's an old Indian story with you.
[1:52] And I learned it when I was in Boy Scouts as a leader. And it kind of goes like this. So you have an old chief, and his grandson comes to him.
[2:07] And he says, Grandpa, I had a dream. And he goes, what was the dream? I had two wolves, a black wolf and a white wolf. And they were fighting nonstop.
[2:20] And I was in the center. And I'm not sure what it means. And the grandfather says, Those are the two sides of you. There's the evil side and the good side.
[2:33] And the one that you feed the most is the one that will win. And you'll either be evil or good by what you feed. And I thought that was an interesting story to kind of go along with our Scripture today.
[2:49] Because it has to do with wisdom. And the type of wisdom that you receive. And where you're getting your wisdom from. So, go to the next slide.
[3:00] Because, of course, we're still in James. So, I'm going back to the James stuff. I know we had a break for a while. So, we're in James chapter 3, verses 13 through 18. And I just want to read verse 13 for you real quick.
[3:13] It says, Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct, he should show his works done in the gentleness that wisdom brings.
[3:26] And that's important for us to understand that if we're humble and if we're gentle in the way we live our lives.
[3:41] And that people that aren't Christians see how we're doing it, it makes a difference. I remember a long time ago.
[3:53] I was like 25, 26 years old. Even though I don't age past 25, just so y'all know that. I'm stuck permanently at 25. So, I was working for this pest control company in Nebraska.
[4:07] Which is where I met Tammy at. And so, and the guy that was the owner was a Christian. A devout Christian. He went to like, I know the church.
[4:20] He was a Lutheran. There was a church, a Lutheran church that he was a big member of and did all kinds of wonderful things there. And he made sure that we knew that. So, and I remember one time I screwed up really bad.
[4:34] But it wasn't my, and this part wasn't my fault. It was more his fault. And so, and afterwards I asked him, I said, so Dick, are you going to fire me?
[4:44] And he goes, no, because it was my fault, not yours. And he always, whenever he would get on my case about something, he did it in a gentle way. He never did it with yelling and screaming and things like that.
[4:58] He did it in a very gentle way. And so, by doing it that way, he was able to show me how and what being a Christian was like.
[5:11] Because this is before, even though I was saved at six, you know, we go run out into the world and we do our own thing. We want to be our own thing.
[5:22] We don't want to be what God wants us to be. We want to just run wild. And that was in my run wild days. Even though I didn't do anything illegal, but I still kind of ran wild.
[5:34] So, so you go to the next slide, Mark. And I was thinking, this verse kind of means, what is a mature Christian? A mature Christian is someone who has a growing relationship with Christ.
[5:47] And who lives in a way that is marked by righteousness, peace, and joy. Maturity is a lifelong process. That's what it involves.
[5:58] Lifelong process. John, how long have you been, like, striving to be that mature Christian? And you are. I'm not saying you're not. So, how long?
[6:09] They can be disputed. Okay. And Matt, Matt's another example I could use of a mature Christian. And I know Phil and Sherry are.
[6:22] And I would look that way for Glenn and Renee. And there's others, too. But when we look at them, we see how they treat other people.
[6:36] We see how they love God so much. I can't tell you the amount of times that Matt and I have worked on something. And he always prays before he does it.
[6:49] And Mark told me one time he was over helping him and Jorge, working on Jorge's truck. And Matt started to work on it without praying first.
[7:01] And Jorge goes, stop, wait. We've got to pray first, Grandpa. And they did. And that's another sign. How many times do you pray before you go to work on something?
[7:13] Or do something? Or ask God for your help? Because only God can help us through stuff. Not man. And so, go to the next slide, Mark.
[7:28] In 1 John 3, verse 7, it says, So if we're striving to be a mature Christian, we are going to do things in gentleness or humbly.
[7:55] We're not going to be that wild and crazy guy that you see on TV. That's trying to push his stuff his way. And I'm talking about not just pastors, but I'm talking about musicians.
[8:11] Or athletes. Or anybody that draws their attention. Even our political people do. And so, if we go to the next slide, we're in James 3, verses 14 and 16.
[8:27] It says, But if you have bitter jealousy and selfishness in your heart, do not boast and tell lies against the truth. Such wisdom does not come from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.
[8:43] For where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is disorder in every evil practice. How many times have you heard of one musician being mad at another musician, so they write a song about this musician, so that they can get back at him, or say bad things about him?
[9:06] Believe it or not, it happens on a regular basis. Maybe not Christian music, if you listen to that, but still, like, one of my favorite songs is by one of my favorite bands, Leonard Skinner.
[9:16] And there's a song they wrote called Sweet Home Alabama. And if you listen to the song, he talks about another musician that wrote a song called Southern Man. And in the lyrics he says, he says something to the effect that we don't need kneel around because we're Southern, or something like that.
[9:40] But the point he's making is because Southern Men, the song Southern Man talks bad about men from the South. Talks about whips and chains and slaves.
[9:53] But the point is, here's one musician talking bad about another musician. And according to my son, rap musicians do it all the time. They're not musicians.
[10:06] I don't disagree, John, but... I have this friend, and see, that he was my best friend growing up. And every time I turn around, he's posting something on Facebook, political.
[10:23] And it all says that we need to get rid of this, this group of politicians and only have this group of politicians. And lately, he's been using Bible verses as part of his reason that we need to do it.
[10:43] And to me, that's bitter jealousy, and it's coming from a worldly view, not a godly view. Because God's view, and my view, two separate things.
[10:56] And every time I see it, I really want to, like, say something mean to him. Or say something to get him to stop because I think he's wrong. And then I was thinking about it the other day, and I was like, who am I to defend God?
[11:14] Because, compared to God, I'm nothing. I'm just the child that he loves. And it's God that's going to defend me. That's kind of the way I was thinking about it.
[11:29] Or abortion. I could throw abortion in there. That's a worldly view, not a godly view. And that's what these scriptures are talking about.
[11:40] Talking about chaos. Chaos. Complete disorder and confusion. And that's the world we live in. So if you're following the worldly view, you're following a chaos.
[11:54] You're following disorder, confusion. You're following the wrong way. You're following what Satan has to do.
[12:09] And that's the question you have to ask yourself. Am I going to follow God's wisdom or the world's wisdom? Because the world's wisdom says it's okay to murder a baby.
[12:21] But does God say that? I don't think so. The world's wisdom says it's okay to to like have three wives at once.
[12:40] But God just says it's not. The world's wisdom says it's okay to sleep with someone outside of marriage. But God says it's not. These are all worldly views that I'm talking about.
[12:53] Not godly views. God says a man and a woman should leave their parents and get married. And said he hates divorce.
[13:07] So then why is 50% of the world getting divorced? And that goes for Christians too just not non-Christians. Why?
[13:21] My wife has stuck with me for her entire life. Or mine. Whichever ends first. Okay? I am head over heels in love with my wife still to the stand.
[13:32] No matter what she does I'm always going to love her. Sorry if I'm picking on you, Tam. She hates it when I pick on her. But she picks right back.
[13:44] Take my word for it. So she will every night I'll be sitting in the recliner she'll come up behind me and take all my hair and mess with it and try to stick it straight up in the air. And that's her way of picking on me.
[13:55] And I'm fine with that. It doesn't bother me in the least. Can you go to the next slide Mark? One more. One more. Please.
[14:06] Okay. So in 1 John verses 3 chapter 3 verse 8 it says the one who practices sin of the devil because the devil has been sinning from the beginning for this purpose the Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the devil.
[14:28] So that's why Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. to get us to stop buying into the worldly wisdom and go after God's wisdom.
[14:41] Because when we're in God's wisdom He's going to work it out for us. He's going to bring us to where we need to be. When things are going terrible whether it's you got a broke down car or you got a house payment that's due or you got a sick child or your spouse is sick God is the one that brings us through it not man.
[15:08] God is the one that loves us and pulls us tight and says I got this. Sherry harasses me all the time in Sunday school she says Mark I love that saying that you guys that says God's got this and I did say that and I still say that no matter how hard the times are God's got this.
[15:30] God's got this. Plain and simple. He will bring us through it. Go to the next slide Mark. James 3 17 and 18 and see and this is where James comes back around and he talks more about the good stuff again.
[15:49] He says but the wisdom from above is first pure then peaceable gentle accommodating full of mercy and good fruit impartial and not hypocritical and the fruit that consists of righteousness is planted in peace among those who make peace.
[16:09] so I thought it was neat all those things that James said in there first he said pure now look at pure to mean holy go to the next slide please sir so if you're pure only God is pure only God is holy we can try and keep trying that's what we have to do we have to try to be holy for God because he wants that from us but the wisdom that comes from God is holy peaceable it's not the same as being amicable do we want to cause strife to our brothers and sisters when someone is angry at us or we get angry at them we have two ways to look at it we can go at it as we're going to get even with you and how many times
[17:14] I can't tell you the amount of times that I've talked to kids I'm talking about my kids or even some youth groups members of the youth group when I was on like a mission trip with them and they have to get even they have to get even so if somebody does something to them they got to get even with them plain and simple how many times is that the world that's not being peaceful that's what God means when he says James is peaceful we have to get along with each other gentle so when we're gentle we're tender right it doesn't mean that we get all up in someone's face we have to be tender with one another I get mad at my kids from time to time but I don't give them anger I give them tenderness or I try to if I get mad at Tammy I try to be tender to her if I get mad at
[18:16] Matt Garrett I try to be tender to him if I get mad at John I would be tender to him but the point I'm making is that is what God expects out of us he wants us to be tender and gentle with each other accommodating adaptable so let's think about that so your boss tells you you got to go do this and you don't like what he wants you to go do do you argue with him or do you say yes sir I'll go do it how many times have you seen where people lose jobs because they weren't adaptable or accommodating I can tell you that my boss and I he won't like something I do and he'll call me up and he'll still get in on my case and then I say yes sir I'll make sure that happens and it kind of shuts him up what do you think at that
[19:24] I found a way to shut the boss up when he's getting on my nerves because he's getting on my case for something he shouldn't or at least I don't think he should but I say yes sir I'll make that happen or yes sir that's the way I'll do things he does he calms down then he says Mark I'm sorry I yielded you and he really does mercy do you show mercy to other people are you compassionate to others I don't just mean anybody I mean everybody if someone pulls out in front of you and does their own thing and cuts you off how do you act in your car my wife will tell you how bad I act in the car I fully admit but we need to be compassionate with one another we need to love one another and show that mercy good fruit you know we know what good fruit is right good fruit is when we get the chance to spend time with someone and get to know them and because we got to know them and they want to be like us as far as our spiritual us that's the good fruit or the good fruit is when
[20:54] Jesus comes and showed the world what compassion and love was look at all his good fruit there's a bunch of them in this room impartial fair and just can you be impartial with people think about it can you see somebody in a bad mood at a store or something like that what did they just go through you don't know do you you don't know why people do what they do so we have to be impartial we have to be fair and just we have to listen to what they have to say we have to listen to what those people maybe were having an argument with our spouse or with our kid we have to listen to what they have to say and be fair and just to them not hypocritical truthful actions are the actions that you show every day in the world truthful or are they
[22:07] I do it this way on Sunday and this way Monday through Saturday Monday through Saturday or maybe Saturday night are you at the bar partying or are you at home spending time with your spouse which is it that's something for you to answer I don't want to know the answer but that's between you and them truthful actions when you say what you're going to do go to the next slide Mark so in 1 John chapter 3 9 and 10 it says everyone who has been fathered by God does not practice sin because God's seed resides in him and thus he is not able to sin because he has been fathered by God that means that Holy
[23:08] Ghost that's in you because you accepted Christ as your Savior he's going to work on you he's going to maybe keep you from doing that sinful action that you're thinking about doing God's going to keep you from doing it sometimes because he's going to put up things that prevent you from going and doing it because you've accepted Christ as your Savior and you want to live a holy Christ filled life by this the children of God and the children of the devil are revealed everyone who does not practice righteousness the one who does not love his fellow Christian is not of God so if you're a believer you show love to your fellow believers because you want to live in Christ you don't want to live in the world do you we try to do that don't we
[24:08] I love everyone that comes to church every one of you I consider my brother and sister in Christ and if you said Mark I need help with this and I can make it happen I will I just do it I don't care what it is as long as it is a good godly thing Steve called me about a week or so ago and said Mark I'm having a hard time getting into the Microsoft account on the church that was the first thing I worked on when I got home I was driving at the time that's the first thing I worked on when I got home was getting him that password so he could get into it John will ask me for computer things and I gave him advice that's what I mean brothers and sisters we have to do things and love one another
[25:12] I know people have asked my son about different mechanic things and he's gone and helped them out after he told me he's never going to work on anybody's car but his or the ones that he's getting paid to work on these are the ways we need to think about where which wisdom we want do we want the worldly wisdom which is eventually going to cause us strife and chaos or do we want the godly wisdom which is going to continue to love us and take us to places with christ it's going to continue to make sure that we're able to get over those bad things because god's got this god's going to protect us god's going to be the one that takes care of us and that's what it comes down to where which wisdom do you want to follow the world or god's and i think that's what james was saying and he was showing you the difference let's go to the lord in prayer father god lord i just thank you for this wonderful lesson that you brought us i thank you for all these wonderful people that are here and i thank you for loving us the way you do lord please continue your awesomeness that you do for us and as we go into finishing up worship go into this this shower that we're gonna put the youngins in and shower them with love please continue to love us like you do and please touch our hearts i pray this in the name of jesus amen amen